On National Poetry Day, CND Peace Education announces the winners of its ‘Verses of Hope’ National Peace Poetry Competition commemorating the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In a national call out, CND’s award-winning Peace Education programme encouraged students from across the country to submit original poems to explore issues of hope and peace and amplify the voices of young people. The competition was judged by published poets, Antony Owen and Aaron Kent.
Fae Chui from Surbiton High School won the competition, and Aanya Jain from King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls was given runner up title. There are also four honourable mentions: Elsie Hemmings (Ysgol Clwedog), Isabel Webster (Stafford Grammar School), Freddie Adams (Maghull High School) and Lily-Frances Findlay (Maghull High School).
Writer of the winng poem Fae Chui said:
“As conflict continues to shape the 21st century, I wrote “The Cold Summer” to reflect on the cruelty of war, drawing on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to highlight the human cost. The devastation serves as a constant reminder of the urgent need for peace and the value of innocent lives. I am very grateful to have my poem chosen as the winning entry, allowing this message of a peace to have a stronger voice.”
The awardees, parents and educators have been invited to attend a special ceremony In London where students will get the opportunity to read their poems and receive awards.
Antony Owen, Aaron Kent and CND General Secretary, Sophie Bolt, will present the awards on behalf of CND Peace Education*. The winning poems will also be published in an anthology by Broken Sleep Books.
Winning entries, judges’ comments and more quotes from students can be found here.
Poet and CND Peace Education Patron Antony Owen said:
“It was a real honour to help judge this poetry competition. All of the students who entered this competition achieved the most important thing: expressing their freedom of speech in the most elegant form of language – poetry. I am so proud of these students and the school teachers for nurturing these voices. I hope the world takes notice. The poems submitted here are transformative to “British Values” as they represent a shared humanity with the commonality of a desire to survive and change for the better. Congratulations to the winners and all who entered. CND and Broken Sleep Books have set the beacon alight for future leaders.”